Measuring device



' g- 1936- H. DALLMANN ET AL 2,050,878

MEASURING DEVICE Filed Feb. 15, 1935 Inventors; Herbert Dallmann, Hermann ljjifrs,

y fizz/ 8'. 49

Their- Attorney Patented Aug. H, 1936 mann Ragnar Eggers,

signors to General poration of New York Berlin, Germany, as-

Eleotric Company, a cor- Application February 15, 1935, Serial No. 6,648

In Germany 2 Claims.

Our invention relates to improvements in measuring devices and has for its principal object the measurement of temperature difierences independently of variations in the individual temperatures or in the average temperature. Other and further objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Resistance thermometers have been found suitable in various applications for measuring individual temperatures. If the average temperature of two points remains constant, the temperature difference can be measured by means of a Wheatstone bridge circuit having two of its arms formed by temperature-responsive resistors or resistance thermometers placed at the two points in question. However, if the individual temperatures of both points increase or decrease, both resistances will be varied even though the temperature difierence may remain the same and the bridge currents will be varied, thus produc- 0 ing an inaccuracy in the reading.

In accordance with our invention in its preferred form, we utilize a modified Wheatstone bridge in which the galvanometer is shunted by temperature-responsive resistors subjected to the individual temperatures or to the average temperature of the points in question so that variations in the bridge current produced by variations in average temperature are compensatedby variations in the division of current between the galvanometer and the shunt resistance.

The features of our invention which are believed to be novel and patentable will be pointed out in the claims appended hereto. For a better understanding of our invention, reference may be had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which is a circuit diagram of one embodiment of our invention.

In the drawing is shown a Wheatstone bridge having resistance arms ll, l2, l8, and It. The arms 13 and I4 consist of temperature-responsive resistors placed at two points at which the temperatures are t1 and t: respectively. The bridge current is supplied by a suitable source i5. which is connected to one pair of opposite terminals of the bridge. Measurements are made with the aid of a current responsive device such as the galvanometer l6, for example, connected to the 0 remaining pair of terminals or the bridge as a diagonal member.

In order to compensate for variations in the average of the temperatures t1 and t2, two compensating resistors l1 and i8 composed o1 tem- 55 perature-responsive resistance material are placed April 25, 1934 at the points 121 and t2 respectively, and connected in series in a circuit shunting the galvanometer l6. In certain cases, it may be sufficient to employ only one of the temperature-compensating resistors I1 and I8. For example, if one oi the points i1 is located at a place where the temperature varies relatively little, such as indoors in a heated building, and the variations in temperature at is are very great in comparison, it will be unnecessary to provide the compensating resistor l'l because a compensating resistor, such as the resistor 18, at the point 732 alone will be suilicient to compensate the galvanometer it within the desired degree of accuracy for variations in,the total bridge current. It will be understood that the electrical dimensions of such a single compensating resistor must be suitably chosen in relation to the calibration of the galvanometer i6.

It will be apparent, in the operation of the apparatus that the difierence in resistance of the resistance arms I3 and It will depend upon the difference between the temperatures ti and t2, and the current in the galvanometer IE will provide a measurement of the temperature difierence. It will be understood that the resistances of the arms H, l2, l3, and i i are chosen so that the bridge is balanced whenthe temperatures t1 and iii, are equal. Assuming a given difierence between t1 and ta, 2. given current will flow through the'galvanometer iii. If the temperature difference remains the same but temperatures t1 and t2 rise or fail, the resistances of arms i3 and it will increase or decrease and the current supplied by the source l5 as well as that flowing across the other galvanometer diagonal of the bridge will tend to decrease or increase owing to the change in resistance of the arms l3 and It. However, the resistances of the compensating resistors l1 and I8 will also increase or decrease so that the current shunted around the galvanometer It will decrease or increase to compensate for the tendency of the total current in the bridge to change.

This arrangement has the advantage that it is not necessary to compensate the entire current supplied by the source l5 but merely that flowing through the galvanometer l6. Consequently, it is unnecessary to increase greatly the power loss' in resistors as would be the case if constant resistance or zero temperature coefficient resistors were connected externally of the bridge to main. tain the total bridge current constant.

The amount of current which need be shunted through resistors l1 and I8 and the resistance loss in the apparatus may be still further decreased by connecting constantresistance or zero 55 temperature coemcient resistors I9 and 2. in series with the bridge'arms i3 and I4, re

tively. The presence of the constant resistance resistors decreases the average resistance-tem- 5 perature coeificient or each of those bridge arms with respect to the resistance-temperature coeiiicient of the compensating resistors l1 and I8.

In accordance with the provisions or the patent statutes, we have described the principle of operation 01' our invention together with the apparatus which we now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof but secure by opposite terminals or said bridge and a currentsaid current-responsive device, one of said'compensating resistors and one of the bridge arms being located at one of said points, and the other of said compensating resistors and another one oi said last mentioned bridge arm being located at the other of said points.

2. Apparatus responsive to the diiierence in be placed at the other oi said points, a pair of zero temperature-coemcient resistors, each connected in serieswith one oi said temperatureresponsive resistors to form therewith an arm of a Wheatstone bridge circuit, another pair 01' resistors forming the two remaining arms 01' a Wheatstone bridge circuit, said arms being eonnected in series-parallel to form the Wheatstone bridge, a source of current connected to two responsive device connected between the remaining two opposite terminals of the bridge, and a temperature-responsive'resistor subjected to the influence oi the temperature at one of said points and connected in shunt to said current-respon- 2 sive device.

HERBERT DALIMANN. ERMANN RAGNAR EGGERS. 

